Phase behavior of hard-core lattice gases: A Fundamental Measure approach

We use an extension of fundamental measure theory to lattice hard-core fluids to study the phase diagram of two different systems. First, two-dimensional parallel hard squares with edge-length $\sigma=2$ in a simple square lattice. This system is equivalent to the lattice gas with first and second neighbor exclusion in the same lattice, and has the peculiarity that its close packing is degenerated (the system orders in sliding columns). A comparison with other theories is discussed. Second, a three-dimensional binary mixture of parallel hard cubes with $\sigma_{\rm{L}}=6$ and $\sigma_{\rm{S}}=2$. Previous simulations of this model only focused on fluid phases. Thanks to the simplicity introduced by the discrete nature of the lattice we have been able to map out the complete phase diagram (both uniform and nonuniform phases) through a free minimization of the free energy functional, so the structure of the ordered phases is obtained as a result. A zoo of entropy-driven phase transitions is found: one-, two- and three-dimensional positional ordering, as well as fluid-ordered phase and solid-solid demixings.Comment: 14 pages, 16 figure

First-principles derivation of density functional formalism for quenched-annealed systems

We derive from first principles (without resorting to the replica trick) a density functional theory for fluids in quenched disordered matrices (QA-DFT). We show that the disorder-averaged free energy of the fluid is a functional of the average density profile of the fluid as well as the pair correlation of the fluid and matrix particles. For practical reasons it is preferable to use another functional: the disorder-averaged free energy plus the fluid-matrix interaction energy, which, for fixed fluid-matrix interaction potential, is a functional only of the average density profile of the fluid. When the matrix is created as a quenched configuration of another fluid, the functional can be regarded as depending on the density profile of the matrix fluid as well. In this situation, the replica-Ornstein-Zernike equations which do not contain the blocking parts of the correlations can be obtained as functional identities in this formalism, provided the second derivative of this functional is interpreted as the connected part of the direct correlation function. The blocking correlations are totally absent from QA-DFT, but nevertheless the thermodynamics can be entirely obtained from the functional. We apply the formalism to obtain the exact functional for an ideal fluid in an arbitrary matrix, and discuss possible approximations for non-ideal fluids.Comment: 19 pages, uses RevTeX

A chapter of the moral history of London: an interview with Bridget O’Connor.

Bridget O ’Connor is a young English fiction writer who has successfully published two collections of short stories, Here Comes John (1993) and Tell Her You Love Her (1997). Her stories introduce a great variety of voices: women or men of all ages and from many different social, cultural and professional background. However, many of them are first-person narratives involving a very peculiar character, young or middle-age, who generally lives in a city, London, and leads a lonely, boring and frustrating life. They make up a group of losers and drop-outs, characters who are socially, professionally or sexually doomed. This does not mean that Bridget O ’Connor always adopts a depressing tone for her sad stories. On the contrary, every now and then, especially in the second volume, there is a touch of vibrant mordant humour associated with a satiric intention. The grotesque exaggerations, the suggestive idiom and the effective ironies designed to ridicule the characters ’ obsessions and follies often produce some comic passages. These amusing elements are cleverly juxtaposed to other more gloomy and sometimes tender images. The immediacy and economy in her narrative brings to light one of the main virtues of her style. Everywhere the description and evocation have a precision, economy and sensitiveness which constitutes the reality of the books ’ style. Nothing is wasted. Every word and every detail are significant and necessary to create and evoke the appropriate mood. The descriptions are accurate, full of images which appeal to all our senses. There are credible dialogues in which the characters use a type of language which is appropriate to the situation, age or social status. Very often, style and purpose are closely knit in her stories. And all this clearly demonstrates her mastery of the genre. Bridget O ’Connor was interviewed in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) on 19 February 1999, during a course on contemporary British writing, organised by the Department of Modern Philology of the University of Alcalá and the British Council (Madrid)

A density functional theory for general hard-core lattice gases

We put forward a general procedure to obtain an approximate free energy density functional for any hard-core lattice gas, regardless of the shape of the particles, the underlying lattice or the dimension of the system. The procedure is conceptually very simple and recovers effortlessly previous results for some particular systems. Also, the obtained density functionals belong to the class of fundamental measure functionals and, therefore, are always consistent through dimensional reduction. We discuss possible extensions of this method to account for attractive lattice models.Comment: 4 pages, 1 eps figure, uses RevTeX

The first Spanish translation of Virginia Woolf`'s "Time Passes": facts, mysteries and conjectures

In 1931 a Spanish version of Virginia Woolf's "Time Passes" was published under the title "El tiempo pasa" in Revista de Occidente. It is the first known text by Woolf in Spanish, a translation which predates the Argentine version of To the Lighthouse by seven years and which has traditionally been ignored by Woolf scholars and bibliographers. Unfortunately, this significant piece in Revista de Occidente does not contain any information other than the title at the beginning and the name of the novelist, Virginia Woolf, at the end. Who was the translator? Was the same text used in later Spanish editions of the novel? Why was this passage chosen by the journal? What did the editor in particular and the Spanish reading public in general know about Virginia Woolf at that time? These are some of the questions that will be addressed in this paper. In discussing this first Spanish translation and its literary context, several details about the reception of Woolf's work in pre-war Spain will also be provided